Tandem-speed stranding machine with intermediate tube



Sept. 25, 1962 H. o. LUTcKE TANDEM-SPEED STRANDING MACHINE WITH INTERMEDIATE TUBE Filed April 26, 1960 n Ruwe Il I f 3,055,164 TANDEM-SPEED STRANDING MACHINE WITH INTERMEDIATE TUBE Helmut O. Ltcke, Ratingen, Germany, assigner t Beteiligungs-und Patentverwaltungsgesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Essen, Germany, a corporation of Germany Filed Apr. 26, 1960, Ser. No. 24,720 Claims priority, application Germany May 2, 1959 3 Claims. (Cl. 57-14) The present invention relates to a tandem-speed-stranding machine having an intermediate tube.

Wire ropes and cables are manufactured lat a continuously increasing rate from multi-wire strands, which strands are worked in a single Working process on speedstranding machines. Since a plurality of spools are required therefor, the stranding machines have been built mostly as tandem machines for economical considerations. Such a tandem machine consists of two selfcontained speed-stranding machines, viz. of such machines which are equipped with a draw oil' and a take up device. For connecting together such individual machines an intermediate ytube is provided which is disposed between the rotating bodies and which serves for the guidance of the wires on their travel from one machine to the other.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a tandem-speed-stranding machine, wherein the intermediate tube not only serves as connecting and guiding body, but is also designed to receive spool carriers. In this manner the number of spools of the tandem machine and, thereby, its output is considerably increased, yet without enlarging the length of the machine. Thus, for instance, with a 6-spool machine and a l2-spool machine, the intermediate tube connecting the two machines may be provided with six spool carriers, so that six additional spools may be inserted and a 24-spool tandem-machine is obtained, the length and space requirements of which are not larger than that of a 24-spool individual machine of conventional design.

With this and other objects in view, which will become apparent in the following detailed description, the present invention will be clearly understood in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE l is an yelevational view of the tandem-speedstranding machine with intermediate tube in raised position;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view thereof, the intermediate tube being shown in lowered connected position;

FIGURE 3 shows part of the machine in elevation at an enlarged scale and partly in section; and

FIGURE 4 shows one part of the machine in section along the lines IV-IV of FIG. 3.

Referring now to the drawing, the rotating body of the 6-spool machine 1 may be rigidly connected with the rotating body of the l2-sp0ol machine 2 by means of an intermediate tube 3. In the position shown in FIG. 1, the machines 1 and 2 may be used independently from each other as individual machines. The tube 3 disposed between the rotating bodies of the two machines 1 and 2 is mounted in guides 4, at an adjustable height above the rotating bodies of the machines 1 and 2 and is shown in its uppermost position in FIG. l. If the two machines 1 and 2 are to be used in combination as a single tandem machine (FIG. 2), the tube 3 is lowered so far that the axes of the rotating bodies of the machines 1 and 2 and of the tube 3 are in the same coinciding line and then the tube 3 is connected by suitable means with the machines 1 and 2. The drawoff, take up and run-off devices, formerly disposed between the lrotating bodies and now being redundant, are moved either laterally out of the range of the inserted intertates atent Y, 3,055,164 Patented Sept. 25, 1962 mediate tube 3, or placedfat such a distance, that the intermediate tube 3 may be inserted without interference by suitable connection of the endflanges ofthe tube 3 with the corresponding flanges ofthe rotatingrbodies-l and 2, as clearly shown in FIG. 3 ofthe drawings. In order to eliminate the necessity for removing the stranding head 6 of the rear machine 1, which stranding head now can `also be dispensed with prior to the connection of the tube 3 with .the rotating bodies of the machines 1 and 2, it is of advantage, to provide a telescopic tube 7 at the end of the tube 3 opposite the stranding head 6, which telescope tube 7 is moved during Ithe mounting of the tube 3 over the stranding head 6 (FIG. 3).

Six spool carriers 8 Ia-re inserted into the tube 3 for the reception of the spools 9, so that due to the connection of the machines 1 and 2 by means of the intermediate tube 3, a 2li-spool tandem machine is provided. The wires are guided and deected in the same manner as in a machine originally built for 24 spools.

Each of the machines 1 and 2 is equipped with a driving motor 10 and 111, respectively. `In order to drive the tandem-machine, both motors may be switched on simultaneously by means of suitable electric synchronous switching (not shown); it is, however, also possible to use only one motor, which must be designed correspondingly, to carry the full load.

It is of advantage to support the intermediate tube 3 in swingably mounted arms =12 (FIG. 4), which arms 12 may be put into any required angular position by means of a pressure device 13 of any known structure, as a hydraulically operating device (see FIG. 4). The insertion of the intermediate tube 3 may be brought about also by lifting devices, not particularly designed for this purpose, for instance by means of cranes or stalkers (not shown).

While I have disclosed one embodiment of the present invention, it is to be understood lthat .this embodiment is given by example only `and not in a limiting sense, the scope of the present invention being determined by the `objects and the claims.

I claim:

1. A tandem speed-stranding machine comprising two separate stranding units disposed spaced -apart from and in axial alignment relative to each other, each of said separate stranding units having a plurality tof spool carriers, a draw-oft and .a take-up device, said take-up 'device of one of said 4stranding units and said draw-off device of another of said stranding units being releasably mounted in said separate stranding units, an intermediate tubular member `disposed between said separate stranding units upon replacing said releasable draw-0E and said releasable take-up device, to convert said two separate stranding units into a single converted stranding unit, and a plurality of additional spool carriers disposed in said intermediate member, in order to increase the number of spool `carriers in said single converted stranding unit.

2. The tandem-speed-stranding machine, as set forth in claim l, which includes a pair of swingable mounted arms, said in-termediate tubular member being supported by said arms, and means for shifting said intermediate tubular member from its inoperative position into its operative position.

3. In a system of two individual speed-stranding machines disposed spaced apart from each other, and each of said machines including rst rotating bodies having a plurality of rst spool carriers, the latter being in axial alignment to each other, draw-off, take up and run-oil? devices removably disposed between said rotating bodies, and a second rotating body disposed exchangeably with said draw-oir, take up and run-01T devices between said first rotating bodies, said second rotating body being in axial alignment and in releasably rigid connection with said first rotating bodies in its operative position to form a combined speed-stranding machine, said second rotating body having a plurality of second spool carriers, so that said combined speed-stranding machine includes said rst and second spool carriers, and means for shifting said second rotating -body from its inoperative into its operative position upon removal of said draw-olf, take up and run-oif devices.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Jones Mar. 13, 1945 Bruestle July 13, 1948 Arnason Oct. 18, 1949 Cogger Mar. 11, 1958 

